About Al Sharq

About Al Sharq Forum

Al Sharq Forum is an independent international network whose mission is to develop long-term strategies to ensure the political development, social justice and economic prosperity of the people of Al-Sharq region.

Message from the President:

Alsharq Region has been a mosaic of cultures, religions and ethnicities. This diversity should continue to be the most important pillar of building a stable and prosperous future for the region. Alsharq Forum will carry this spirit and take to its furthest ends.Wadah Khanfar

Al Sharq Forum’s three pillars

Al Sharq Strategic Think Tank

The mission of Al Sharq Forum think tank is to undertake impartial research and develop long-term strategies to ensure the political development, social justice and economic prosperity of the people of Al Sharq. It will do this through public-spirited research and high quality events, promoting the ideals of democratic participation, multi-stakeholder dialogue and social justice.

Al Sharq Youth Forum

Al Sharq Youth Forum is a network of passionate and active young leaders in various fields who are interested in public affairs. The network was established in 2012 and comprises of more than 10,000 members across the globe.

Al Sharq Academy

Al Sharq Academy offers a set of certified academic courses using online educational platform. These courses include basic introductions to the social sciences, in addition to more specialized regional studies in various fields: governance, economy, and international relations.

Al Sharq Youth Forum (ASYF)

Al Sharq Youth Forum (ASYF) takes form as a decentralised network of young people, primarily representing the region’s four major ethnicities: Arabs, Turks, Persians and Kurds. The Youth forum is lead entirely by young people from within the region itself, providing for its authenticity against all other symbolic forums and discussions that occur outside the region.
It is Al Sharq’s fundamental belief that goodness lies in the future, and that the youth are the pioneers of whatever change is to come to the region. Hence, ASYF focus extensively on the capacity building of the youth and in incorporating themselves within the discussions and strategic planning for their region.

Our Core values

The Future is Auspicious

We believe that we are facing a historical paradigm shift, and that we are tasked with building the future in a new spirit. This forum is an open arena for an exchange of ideas about the future, our visions and our projects by means of deep discussions and continuous interaction with the world and the experiences of different nations.

Universal Mission Values

We believe that the values underpinning our conscience represent a universal mission. We must strive for universal betterment, justice and ethics that allow young people their human dignity, freedom of thought and belief.

Historical Examination

We are committed to a deep and meticulous examination of history. We also believe, however, that our study of the past must not allow us to dwell in the past and must not lead to an obsession with models, structures and experiences from the past to the detriment of the present.

Negotiation and Dialogue

We believe that public affairs should be addressed through a process of negotiation among the constituents of each community. They should also be determined through dialogue so as to arrive at a social and political contract upon which the overwhelming majority of the population agrees, one based on compromise rather than strife.

Pluralism

Pluralism is a social necessity and a human right. We believe diversity that allows for tolerance and respect is part of human nature and is an indicator of a society’s wellbeing. We thus insist on dialogue that encompasses contrasting ideologies and visions. We believe that an auspicious future is home to openness and tolerance, and void of marginalization, oppression and exclusion.

Prosperity of Humans

Human prosperity is correlated to transparency, equal opportunities and the fair distribution of wealth. We believe that any economic order that is detached from moral values is a project of enslavement and hegemony, and will, therefore, accomplish neither security nor prosperity for the world.

Self-determination

We believe in the right of nations and peoples to self-determination in accordance with their collective conscience and civilizational precepts. We believe that the human civilization is an accumulative process to which all nations, peoples and civilizations contribute. It is our conviction that civilizations must interact and collaborate, and that civilizational conflict is the outcome of usurpation and arrogance that poses a threat to world peace and leads to human misery and hardship.

Sciences and Knowledge

These are the pillars upon which the future will be built. We are thus firm believers in prioritizing scientific research and methodological epistemological thinking and to linking these with sublime ethical objectives that surpass material frames of reference dislodged from grand existential values in the lives of people and societies.

The first interactive conference in Al Sharq region bringing hundreds of worldwide experts and youth elites to achieve paradigm shift in our awareness of the most trending future patterns in politics, business, technology, science and art.